Windows 10 Creators Update: 10 New Features You Should Know

Microsoft recently announced that they will be rolling out the Windows 10 Creators update starting April 11. Although the Creators update has been available to download for quite a while now, you had to sign up for the Windows Insider program to gain access to it. If you didn’t, you don’t have to wait much longer now, as the update is going to reach your computer within a few days. However, if you still cannot wait till April 11, you will be able to manually download the update on April 5 using Microsoft’s Update Assistant. So, before you go ahead and download the latest major update for Windows 10, you must be wondering about the new features in Creators update, right? Don’t worry, because today we’re going to discuss about them in detail. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at 10 new Windows 10 Creators Update features:

1. Privacy Controls

Ever since the launch of Windows 10, users have been concerned about their privacy, as the operating system shares a lot of data with Microsoft. This was mostly because of the OneDrive and Cortana integration into the operating system. It was hard to turn them off individually one by one. Well, with the Creators Update, this issue has been resolved, to an extent. Setting up the privacy settings in Windows 10 has been made much simpler, with a neat dashboard just for privacy controls. With the Creators update, you can now Enable/Disable Location, Speech Recognition, Diagnostics, Tailored experience with diagnostic data and Relevant Ads, with just a few toggles and you’re good to go.

2. Paint 3D

Microsoft Paint is something we have all used and in fact, many people still use it everyday. However, Paint has changed much ever since its introduction in the budding years of Windows. Well, that’s changing with the Windows 10 Creators Update. Microsoft has introduced a new Paint 3D app, which features 3D image manipulation and lets you convert your 2D images to 3D objects. How cool is that? It’s simple to create 3D objects right from scratch with all the tools that’s available. In addition to this, Microsoft also offers Remix 3D, a growing online library where people can share their creations with the community.

3. Game Mode

The new “Game Mode” in Windows 10 Creators Update is perhaps the most interesting feature for all the gamers out there, as Game Mode will now let you get some improvement in performance on your hardware. Once Game Mode is turned on, the CPU and GPU resources will be prioritized to the games, thereby letting you get a slight boost in frame rate while gaming. It has to be enabled for each game separately and it can be enabled/disabled from the Game Bar, which can be accessed any time by pressing “Windows + G” keys. This is basically an optimization done on the software side of things, so expect minor improvements.

4. Dynamic Lock

We all know Windows Hello, the feature which lets you unlock your Windows 10 computer via a fingerprint or iris scanner. The Creators Update brings another similar feature known as Dynamic Lock. Before you can use this feature, you need to pair atleast one Bluetooth device with your PC. This device can be anything, but a smartphone or smartwatch is preferred, as these devices always stick around with us. So, if you walk away from your PC with the paired device, it will be disconnected when it’s out of range. Now, Windows waits for about 30 seconds for the paired device and if it’s still out of range, your PC will be automatically locked. Once you’re back in the Bluetooth range of your PC, it will automatically unlock once your Bluetooth device is connected again. Pretty nifty, isn’t it ?

5. Mixed Reality

Windows 10 Creators Update will include support for Mixed Reality. According to Microsoft, Mixed Reality includes Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Holographic computing. Microsoft claims their HoloLens headset is a mixed reality headset, as it lets you see the real world through the headset and the digital content is superimposed on the real world. With this HoloLens, you will be able to download 3D models from the Edge browser or you can create one using Paint 3D and virtually place it in the real world. Once the update hits, Edge browser will receive support for WebVR that allows websites to deliver a VR experience. Google is also working on WebVR support for the Chrome browser. So expect this feature to bloom, in the near future.

6. Folder Tiles

Do you have too many tiles on your start menu? Don’t worry, because soon you’ll be able to group them into a single tile like a folder. Windows Mobile (Phone) has had this feature for quite a while now and it has finally arrived for Windows 10. Creating a folder tile is as simple as dragging one tile and dropping it on top of another. If you like to keep your stuff organized, you’ll love this feature.

7. Night Light

If you’re an iOS or Mac user, you’ve probably tried out the Night Shift mode which makes your iPhone’s display much warmer, to reduce eye strain, filter out the harmful Blue light while you’re staring at your phone during bedtime. Night Light is a similar feature that will be available for Windows 10 users with the Creators update. This feature will make your computer’s display much warmer by reducing the emission of blue light, making it a more pleasurable experience to work late nights in front of your computer.

8. Microsoft Beam

Beam is Microsoft’s streaming service aiming to compete against the likes of Amazon-owned Twitch, which is arguably the most used game streaming service around the world. Beam streaming is also available on the Xbox One with the recent dashboard update that it received. This will be available for all Windows users as well, with the Creators update. Microsoft wants to make Beam one of the easiest and quickest ways to stream your content from Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs. The service will work by connecting to the user’s Xbox Live account and no additional software is required. Certainly a great addition to Windows.

9. Storage Sense

A number of Windows users complain about the lack of storage on their devices and with the Creators Update bringing so many features, they might eat up even more storage space. Thankfully, the Creators Update introduces a new feature called Storage Sense within the Windows 10’s storage settings to save some space. If enabled, it allows Windows to free up space in your hard drive by automatically getting rid of the files you don’t need or use. It basically cleans up temporary files and also empties the files present in the recycle bin for over 30 days.

10. Microsoft Edge Improvements

Apart from the WebVR support for Microsoft Edge, that we discussed earlier, it’s receiving some other improvements as well with the Creators Update. There’s Tab Previews, which as the name suggests, lets you look at the previews of all the tabs that are currently open in your browsing session. Edge can also be used as an E-reader for all the books you have downloaded from the Windows store. Apart from this, Edge is also receiving a built-in support for Microsoft Wallet making use of their own Payment Request API. That’s a good attempt from Microsoft to make Edge as your default browser, isn’t it? Only time will tell.